Advanced Meter Infrastructure

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The City of Albemarle's Advanced Meter Infrastructure Project will upgrade all utility meters in the City.

The meters currently in use will be replaced with new, highly-accurate, modernized meters. These advanced meters will send usage data through a wireless network. This technology is known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).

AMI Project Part of City's Strategic Plan

Part of the City of Albemarle's Strategic Plan includes a commitment to investment in infrastructure. The Advanced Meter Infrastructure Project is an example of the City following through on the strategic plan.

Customer Benefits

Updated on demand electric and water usage details. AMI will offer customers access to day-to-day energy & water consumption details.

Cost savings. Customers can better plan ahead & adjust usage.

Enhanced outage & maintenance response capabilities. AMI allows the City to more accurately track service interruptions. This improves response, repair, & service restoration times which can lead to cost savings.

Effective service notifications & alerts. AMI allows the City the capability to provide a customer information portal. Any customer can sign up for alerts regarding outages, estimated service restoration and any other service related issues customers need to know.

Meter Installations

Technicians contracted by the City will arrive at properties in a vehicle with a label on them. Each technician will have an identification badge. Upon arriving at a property, the technicians will knock at the door and let the property owner know they’re performing an installation. There is no reason for a technician to enter your home or business. During the installation process, customers will experience a service disruption lasting approximately 30 seconds.

Approximately 2,500 new electric meters will be installed each month. Installation of upgraded residential water meters will continue to occur as supplies and materials are received.

If you have questions about the Advanced Meter Infrastructure Project, please contact 704-984-9650.

Please see additional frequently asked questions regarding AMI.

Why is the City upgrading meters?

A community survey conducted during the development of the City's Strategic Plan, showed residents wanted the City to make investment in infrastructure a priority. After careful consideration, analysis, and planning, the City approved the upgrade to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). City leaders and staff recognized several benefits of AMI which include: reduced cost associated with the meter reading process, real time data and usage insights for customers, improved response to service disruptions, and more efficient communication with customers during service outages.

How does the new system work?

The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system is made up of several advanced components that communicate using wireless and radio frequency technology. A small radio is connected to the electric and water meter that records and transmits a daily reading showing hourly usage intervals to a collector. These data transmissions last only several milliseconds and are smaller data size than text. These network units will be mounted on multiple utility poles throughout the service area. The collectors store all the reads and sends batch uploads to the software accessible to City utility staff.

What is the technology that reads my meter and sends it to the city? Is it safe?

Do I have to pay for my new meter?

No, customers will not need to pay for their new meter. The City has received substantial rebates from North Carolina Municipal Power Agency 1. These rebates are shared with our customers in the form of rate reductions as well as investments into distribution infrastructure, such as the AMI project. This upgrade comes with no impact on utility rates and has appropriately been planned and budgeted.

Have the new meters been tested for accuracy?

Yes, the meter manufacturer, Itron, conducts testing. Itron metering products are subjected to conformance testing to validate that each meter meets customer requirements and design requirements, and regulatory agency requirements (Underwriters Laboratories, ANSI, Federal Communications Commission, etc.). In addition, Itron completes extensive reliability testing very early in the product lifecycle to prove field reliability and product lifetime performance.

Will my bill increase?

Electric customers are unlikely to see any change in their bill because the electric meters currently in use are digital. Water customers may see a slight increase due to improved accuracy of the meters. Currently all water customers have mechanical meters, which may become less accurate over time. The new meters are highly accurate and will record customer usage more precisely than the replaced meters. New meters may register lower water flows that your older meter might not have been able to capture, which means that although your bill may increase, your meter is now accurately recording your water consumption.

The benefits of improved and more accurate usage information to the Utility and customers will reduce wasted water through the enhanced system capability to send alerts and notifications such as stopped meter, customer leak detection, and utility distribution system leak detection.

Is the AMI system secure?

Who is doing the work for the project?

The project is being managed for the City by Tantalus, an advanced metering consulting firm, specializing in advanced metering technologies. Tantalus will be responsible for overall management of the project along with the manufacturer Itron and the installation sub-contractor NextGen. Field personnel working on the project will carry proper identification and have successfully completed a background check. Field personnel will not need to enter a residence.

Is there a health hazard associated with radio frequency?

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